Getting Back at the Keeper
by hcgolfinfool
Summary: Katie Bell is awed by many things during another year at Hogwarts. For one, what in the heck are netwhilsts? And as for the Quiddich Captain's curse? Wow. Just wow.
1. Meeting the Breath

Abruptly, the book came to a stop at her feet. Bending at the waist and picking it up, Katie Bell examined it for what seemed a second before Fred Weasly crashed into her. "Oh, sorry about that! I was just, uh…" Fred looked around the hall, as if there was an explanation written on the walls for him to say.

"Protesting Sir Jambar Knijt's Introduction to Proper Usage of Netwhiltsts?" Katie smirked. She always thought Fred and his twin, George, were on her "Odd" list. She had many lists.

"How did you know? What is this class anyway? Never heard of it before." Fred scratched his head.

"Well," Katie began, "I heard that it was a new one. I was writing Alicia and Angelina all summer. But…do you know what Netwhiltsts are?"

"Err, no. They sound brutal, though."

"Hmm. Well, they're in our International Wizarding Relations class, so, I guess they are used for….International Wizarding Relations…" she guessed. She mentally wrote "Netwhiltsts" on her "Useless" list.

" 'Ey! Katie! How is it, mate?" George Weasly walked toward them with the twin's friend, Lee Jordon.

_Oh. No. _Katie wished Alicia would come and rescue her. She tolerated the three friends, even liked them as friends, but sometimes they just got on her nerves. Today, she was in luck, for just before Lee and George reached Katie, she heard a familiar voice. Angelina.

"Katie!" Katie turned, and hugged her friend.

Angelina looked out of breath. "I ran all the way down from the corridor. I couldn't wait to see you! It has been way too long!"

_Actually, it's been a week…or has it been two since we last hung out?_

"Anyways," Angelina eyed the boys. "We have to get to our dorm so we can…umm…review…"

_THANK YOU!_

Katie let Angelina drag her to the Gryffindor commen room entrance.

"Password?" The Fat Lady beamed at the two returning Gryffindors.

"Mud Trifle." Katie pronounced. "Just got it from a prefect." The door swung open, and they went in.

"So, where is Alicia? Or is she STILL on vacation?" Katie asked the other girl.

"Oh, I guess so. She'll be here though, in time for the Sorting, at least. I can't wait to see our new comrades!"

The door swung open and Harry Potter, Ron Weasly, and Neville Longbottom strolled in.

"Hello, Harry! Ron, Neville." Angelina acknowledged.

"Hello…ready for another year? Of Quiddich, I mean. No one gives a rat's arse to actual learning." Harry replied.

Katie laughed. "Yeah…but, I have to study hard for my N.E.W.T.S…but, I am looking forward to smashing Slytherin's faces into the dirt when we win the first match this year. Show their new captain who's boss around here." _Did I just rhyme? _

_"Did she just rhyme?"_ Harry thought.

_"Did she just rhyme?" _Angelina thought.

_"Did she just rhyme?" _Neville thought.

_"I think I'm hungry…" _Ron thought.

Just like Angelina had said, Alicia showed up in time for not only the Sorting, but for the banquet, too. She slid into the seat next to Katie. Placing a copy of The Daily Prophet in front of them, she jabbed her finger at a picture of herself, snake charming. The snake had its eyes fixed on her flute, moving its head in time with the movement. The caption read "Alicia Spinnett, Hogwarts student, and her family, enjoy an afternoon of snake charming in New Delhi, India."

"You- you- you came that close to a snake? But, Alicia, dearie, you are terrified of them!" Katie gasped.

"Not anymore! I faced my fears, and, it worked! I feel like I can face anything now." Alicia said, proudly.

"Anything..but us…" a voice hissed behind them. The three girls turned and faced AnaSergeyev, the new Slytherin Keeper. "Just try and get even one ball past me. I dare you." With that, she sauntered away.

Angelina looked at Katie. Katie looked at Alicia. Alicia looked at them both. Burying their heads in each other's shoulders, they burst out laughing, the sound muffled by their robes. Finally the stopped to gasp for air. He face red, Katie burst out.

"Her breath was enough to make me stay far away from that side of the field!"

"I'll make us some nose plugs to use next week!" Alicia gasped.

Angelina just grinned. _Slytherin is sooo going down, bad breath included._

The hall grew quiet as Dumbledore stood.

A/N Thanks for reading! This is my first fic, and I am very open for constructive criticism! Also, I haven't read Harry Potter in..well, forever, so if you notice anything that seems wrong or out of place, let me know! And, of course, you can always just drop me a nice note, too! Thanks! Feel free to flame, too, I'm open to get ideas…lol


	2. Coming Out On Top

Heaps of food began to fill the table after the Sorting. Wide-eyed first years were sitting close to each other, as though if they were to sit apart they would suffer. Harry, Hermione and Ron were huddled over their schedules, and the twins and Lee were observing what seemed to be a long list of something. Angelina was scooping some applesauce out of a large bowl, Alicia was still reading her edition of The Daily Prophet, and Katie was studying Ana. The girl's black hair was tied in the back, swept out of the way of her eyesight. Her eyes were a hazel colour, and not very friendly looking. Her nose slid to a point, making her eyes and cheeks look somewhat caved in. Suddenly, she glanced up, saw Katie looking at her, smirked, and whispered something to the girl sitting next to her. Together, they laughed. Katie put on a cheesy smile and gave them both a thumbs-up. That shut them up. Angelina was observing Katie. "Gosh, Katie, you certainly know how to piss off those Rat-Munchers…" she alleged, using her nickname for the Slytherins. Alicia rolled her eyes. "You know, that is really immature to call them that."

"Look who's talking!" Angelina retorted.

"Oy! Girls! Can't we all just get along?" Fred grinned at them. Lee and George were grinning as well.

"Eh, who said you could join our conversation?" Alicia glared. Angelina tried to suffocate a chuckle.

Fred looked like he was just shot. "Oh, she got me! Right here!" he exclaimed, holding a part of his chest. Coughing and gagging violently, he slumped his upper body on Lee. Several first years scooted a few inches away from him.

"Hey! G'roff me!" Lee pushed Fred.

"You guys, you're scaring the ickle children!" Katie said. "They could be potential players! Well, in the future…"

"Ah, we'll have to make sure that when we leave, we have some good Beaters to take our place, won't we, Fred?" George nudged his brother.

"Yea, seeing as you two didn't exactly make it up to the 'Good' standards…" Lee joked.

"Hey!" Fred kicked Lee under the table.

By now, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had joined the conversation.

"I am so ready for the match…." Harry looked over at the Slytherin table. Draco was in his usual place, sitting between Crabbe and Goyle. Ron gulped.

Lee heard him. "Oh! I almost forgot…it's going to be Ronniekin's first match! So, Ron, how does it feel to be replacing Oliver Wood, possibly the best Keeper ever? You have big shoes to fill…" Ron gulped again.

"Well, I, uh, can't wait! It's going to be..great!" Ron forced a pathetic looking smile on his face.

"Don't worry; we won't let anything happen to you, if you're a good little boy." Fred cackled. Ron gulped.

_"Good God! How many times can that boy gulp?"_ Katie questioned herself.

"And we have some mighty fine Chasers, if I do say so myself!" Angelina announced to the group.

"I wonder who the Chasers are for the Slytherins, since their other Chasers are gone now...?" Hermione wondered out loud.

"Let's hope they brush their teeth." Katie said, trying to keep a straight face to no avail. Suddenly, the face of Madame Hooch was looking right at Angelina. She would have jumped if she wasn't used to Madam Hooch always appearing out of nowhere.

"The field is first come, first serve tomorrow morning until right before lunch. Just letting the teams know."

"Thanks, Madame Hooch." The players all chimed in.

"Alright, gang! You heard the woman!" Fred looked at all of them.

"Umm, excuse me, but since when are you captain?" Angelina gave Fred a Look. Fred shuddered. He got enough Looks from his mother. He didn't need anymore Looks.

"What, you don't want to practice?" George asked.

"Duh. Of course. I just need to keep Fred on his toes, and the rest of you. As captain, I am ordering you to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we are having a long, good, but most of all, FUN practice."

Ron groaned.

_"Well, at least he isn't gulping…" _Katie thought.

Early the next day, Katie felt herself being shaken awake by none other than Angelina. She glanced out the window.

"Uggh…Angie, it's dark…lemme sleep…" Katie shoved her head underneath her pillow. Suddenly she felt her body freeze in the cold air. She reached for her blanket, which wasn't there.

"It's five-thirty. Get up. We have a lot of things to cover." Angelina whispered, not wanting to wake up the fortunate girls who weren't on the team.

Katie groaned, but sat up. "You are a very evil woman." She muttered, watching Angelina hurrying over to Alicia's bed.

Pulling on a sock, she swore softly. She had a slight cut on her foot. "Ouch…I must have stepped on something…"

After Katie and Alicia were finished getting dressed, they followed Angelina out to the common room. Four sleepy looking teammates greeted them.

"I hope you slept well, because I am determined to win our first match. Never mind that we'll have to put in all of our hours and best efforts. We will come out on top this year!" Angelina punched the air on the word 'year'.

"Err….right…let's go, then." George said, looking at Angelina like she just said something incredibly stupid.

A/N- Thanks for reading again! I figured out the whole formatting deal, so I'm sorry that my first chapter was screwy. I'd like to thank my reviewer that told me that my formatting needed to change. I did not notice this when I posted it and read it about five times over. So, keep on sending me the tips and tricks and comments…and whatnot. I enjoy them. Ciao!


	3. Professor Avia Tantella

Aching and bruised, Katie, Fred, George, Alicia and Angelina all stiffly slid into their seats in the large chamber that was being used for their International Wizarding Relations class. Angelina had worked the team so hard; George and Fred reckoned that a swift head beating was in order, if they hadn't felt so tired.                                                                                                                                  Their schedule had said that their instructor was Professor Avia Tantella, a new teacher this year. Their schedule also revealed that they were sharing the class with the Hufflepuffs.  Katie scanned the room. Stacks of books stood higher than the professor, and they were everywhere. The desks were each covered with a different coloured tablecloth. Shelves that ran across the walls held many peculiar objects. Katie recognized a tooth of a baby Hungarian Horntail, a Sneak-O-Scope, and a big box of Bertie Bot's every flavoured beans. She noticed the different coloured sunbeams, and followed them up to the window. The professor had charmed the windows to be different colours. Overall, the place looked very fascinating to Katie, among the other students as well.                           Tantella walked around the room, smiling at all her new students. She didn't have a desk. (She didn't believe in desks.  They were much too formal for her.) Avia's long, blond hair cascaded down her back, just slightly curled at the bottom. Her mossy-green eyes looked wide with excitement. She wore a long, flowing deep purple dress, made out of a very thin material, for the summer, but thick enough to be appropriate. Her black cloak was carelessly tossed over a rather large red armchair. Her right ring finger had a ring with an enormous green stone set in it.  Katie gasped when she felt something brush pass her legs. Looking down, she saw a rather large tabby cat; it's grey and white fur reminding her of her own cat, Ditto.                                                                                              After the class was all settled, Professor Tantella pointed her wand at a large mirror that took the place of the absent desk. Muttering something that sounded strangely like "rubber chicken foot", she flicked her wand. The curtains all closed, shunning the sunlight. A face began to appear in the mirror. It wasn't exactly human, Katie thought. "_More like an offspring that resulted between a pixie and a seahorse…"_ she mused.

"Whooo….do you wish….to get informaaattiioon onnn?" the face spoke, its words dragged out.

"Professor Minerva McGonagall." Professor Tantella pronounced, in a steady voice.

"Accessinggg Professor Minerva Mcgonagall'ssss miinnddd. Pleeaasee hoollld."

"Well," Professor Tantella turned to the class. "While I am on hold, which may be awhile, seeing as my Netwhilst is extremely old, I will explain to you who I am, what this class is, and what I expect of you." She turned to the board. Moving her finger, words spelled out. "Avia Tantella" filled the entire space with loopy letters. "My name," she pointed to the board. "Is Avia Tantella, obviously, but I would like it if you just stuck to the normal 'Professor Tantella'. Sometimes that old bat…you didn't hear me say that…McGonagall gets on my case when she hears students calling me 'Avia'. So please, don't.  Unless you are positive she isn't flying- err- walking- by. I am thirty years old. I am new, as you may have noticed. I transferred from a small school in Romania. Yes, there were dragons very close by, and yes, I was petrified by them, and yes, I actually did get the nerve to touch one. With gloves on. And with a five-meter stick."  She smiled, then continued. "I will respect you all if you respect me. You don't have to like me, just show respect. But don't worry. I'm not that hard to get along with." She paused, getting a far-away look on her face. "You are probably all wondering what International Wizarding Relations are. Well, to tell you the truth, I have no idea." After the students finished chuckling, she went on. "Why they named them that, anyway. It doesn't quite fit the subject. Well, I suppose it could if you thought about it, but who has time to think around here? Netwhilsts, the key in IWR's are like spirits in a way. You each will be learning how to summon your own, unique Netwhilst. They are used to gather the dirt on people you dislike. It's not illegal, if you aren't caught…. ok, I lied. You can't get the deepest secrets out of the people.  See, the Netwhilsts have 'brains', too. They stop when they see a thought, idea, or memory in your 'victim' that they think is too personal or private for you to see. It's bad, I know, but there have to be some rules for this. Well, I'm done talking; let's see if my Netwhilts's done. Oh! If you see my cat slinking by, his name is Felvasosofel, but you can just call him Felvie. He's named after my home town."

                _"__Romania__?" _Fred and George looked at each other.  _"Charlie! Dragons!"_

                Katie studied her new professor. She seemed interesting, and very excited about whatever it was she was talking about. Avia- Professor Tantella- was animatedly talking, walking all over the room, and using her hands the entire time she was talking. When Avia said "Romania", only did then Katie realize the slight accent in Avia's voice. Her thoughts were broken when the dragged-out voice spoke again.

                "Professor Minerva McGonagall. Aaaaggeee: Siiixxxtyy. Loooccc-"

                Avia cut the voice off. "Oh, will you cut the voice out already?" she asked.

                "Ahh, sorry.  Ok. Professor Minerva McGonagall. Age: Sixty. Location: In her office, writing a letter. Teaches: Transfiguration. Head of Gryffindor House. What memory or thought do you wish to observe?"

                "What she thinks of me." Avia looked directly at the face.

                "Professor Minerva McGonagall thinks that you are a very stubborn woman, with ideas on teaching that are a bit eccentric. She also thinks that you need to put a desk in your classroom. At the moment, she is thinking of coming to your classroom. She is thinking that she wants to make sure you are 'teaching the right way'.  The face winked at the last part.

                "Oh! Well, thank you for your help today. Goodbye!" Avia hurriedly said. Muttering a phrase that sounded like "Akimbo Cotton Elephants", she pointed her wand at the mirror, then the shades. Instantly, the face disappeared, and the sun streaked through the windows. The students squinted at the light.  Avia looked triumphant. "And that is International Wizarding Relations. The international part is stuck in there because you can choose anyone, anywhere in the world. Well, not Muggles, I suppose. Not saying that you shouldn't try… So, do any of you have a question? Yes, you in the back, with the blond ponytail?"

                Katie lowered her hand. "I was just wondering if the 'victim' can feel or hear anything while you are doing this?"

                Avia grinned. "Nope, not a thing. That's why it's so hard to get to the good stuff…the Netwhilsts know all to well that the victim's can't do anything about it. Well, they can prepare a shield, but it hardly works unless you've had years of practice with it. But even if Professor McGonagall doesn't feel it, I think she's on to me, so I shouldn't show it to all my classes today. You're lucky. Yes, in the front?" she pointed to an auburn-haired girl right in front of her. Katie recognized her to be Arven Lewis, the Hufflepuff Keeper. Arven was probably one of the best Keepers she had seen since, well, Oliver Wood.

                "How often can you do this?"

                "Well, you can do it as much as you like, though I advise against it. You might, possibly, become obsessed with it, and obsession can lead to anger towards your 'victim'. Anger can often turn into hate."

                The next student was Angelina. "When do we start to learn?"

                Avia picked up her wand. "Right now, if you want…"

A/N- Ahh. Done with my third one. Now I just have to send it to be beta-ed, and I'll upload it. So how do you guys like it? I realize that my characters are starting to sound the same, I'll work on that. You shall see my plan….cue Twilight Zone theme"….umm…review! And stuff…I just wish it didn't take 24 hours to upload…and I think I might change the genre to be just "general"…I thought I was going to add a lot more humor in this, but it just didn't work out.  Oh, I do realize that some things in my story don't follow the book. At all. So I'm sorry if you were expecting it too. It just works out with what I want to write. So sue me... Just kidding!


	4. Somthing Stinks A Different Smell

Avia motioned to Arven Lewis. "What is your name, dear?" she asked her.

"Arven Lewis, Professor." Arven told her.

"Ahh, a lovely name. Arven, you can be our first try for the day, eh?" Avia snapped her fingers, and the mirror slid closer to the two. "Take your wand and point it into that mirror…"

Arven did as she was told. "Like this?"

"Exactly. Now, we are going to find out what your Netwhilst answers too. I need you to concentrate on one of your wildest dreams. Netwhilsts love dreams, hopes, and wishes."

As Arven concentrated, the students eagerly gazed at the mirror, hoping to catch a glimpse of a face. The mirror began to turn colours, first red, then purple, then blue. Then, as suddenly as they had come, the colours disappeared, and the reflection of Arven filled the glass again. Arvin looked disappointed.

"It's ok, this can be pretty tricky. Make sure your mind is completely clear when you concentrate. It can take awhile." Avia smiled.

Arven faced the mirror again. The colours came back, brighter than before. Two misshapen eyes began to appear, dim at first, but eventually becoming more and more clear. Arven's wand began to shake.

"Arven, stop, now! You've encountered one that isn't yours. It probably belongs to someone who has somewhat of the same dream as you." Avia grabbed Arven's wand to steady it. She turned to the class. "If you come in contact with a Netwhilst that isn't yours for too long, things can get pretty bad. They won't recognize you, and begin to try and harm you because they think you are trying to steal them. Believe me, the stealing of Netwhilsts has been going on for years. Only now have they begun to get smarter." She turned back to Arven. "Arven, do you want to try again? Only this time, pick a different dream."

Arven nodded. Pointing her wand at the mirror, she closed her eyes. Colours began to appear in the mirror once again, swirling around each other. Music began to fill the room. Katie recognized the music to "It's a Small World", and wondered what Arven was thinking about. Two eyes began to show. The class waited for Arven's wand to start shaking, but it didn't. The whole face began to come in to view.

"Good, Arven, good. Keep on concentrating, you've almost got it." Avia looked pleased. The face was becoming clearer and clearer. "Ok, now, Arven, slowly lower your wand. Good. See if it-"

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard, and the face was gone. Arven looked at the mirror with bewilderment, then at the professor. "What just happened?"

"Oh, well, the good news is, you found your Netwhilst. The bad news is, it's a very shy one. See," Avia turned to face the class once again, "Netwhilsts have personalities. Some of you who are lucky will summon a very trusting one. Arven here summoned a shy one. That's alright, it will just take longer to gain its trust and companionship. IWR isn't the easiest class, if that's what you all were thinking." Avia grinned. "Well, I think it's about time for you all to leave. On your way out," she pointed to Felvie, "be sure to pet Felvasosofel. If he doesn't get attention from everyone upon their leaving, he tends to claw up my robes."

As the students filed out, they wearily pat the cat on the back. Angelina wasn't much of a cat person, and Katie could hear her muttering under her breath. Reaching out, Angelina touched the cat lightly on its head. Felvie looked a bit mad. Katie grinned, then scratched the cat under the chin. When she walked out the door, she could still hear the cat purring.

In the hallway to go to her next class, Katie spotted Ana chatting with the Slytherin Seeker, Draco Malfoy. Katie smiled to herself when she saw Draco ever so slightly wrinkle his nose. _"Well, I guess I won't see those two together anytime soon…" _she mused to herself.

Ana turned away from Malfoy and began walking towards Katie. Not paying attention to where she was going, she almost ran into Katie, but Katie dodged her, just in time.

"Watch where you're going!" She almost yelled at Katie.

_"Why don't you watch where you're going?" _Katie thought and wanted to say, but then quickly realized how stupid that would sound. Instead, she smiled, and said,

"Oh, I'm deeply sorry. I don't want to harm you before the first match. When we win, I want to know that you were perfectly healthy, thus giving you no excuse for never stopping our throws!"

Ava snorted. "You wish. You just might want to be watching your back, Miss Bell, and tell your little "team" that they should be doing the same."

"Is that a threat?" Katie took one step toward Ava.

"Oh, no, it's not a threat, it's a promise." With that, Ava pushed past Katie. Katie looked after her for awhile, until Ava turned the corner, and Katie realized that she was late for Arithmancy. Muttering to herself, she ran to the classroom.

At lunch, Katie slid into her usual seat next to Alicia. As normal, the twins and Lee were already stuffing their faces. Alicia, as normal, was rolling her eyes at the sight, Angelina, as normal, was pondering over a map of the Quiddich field, scribbling marks, words, and arrows all over it, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione, as normal, were talking quietly amongst themselves._ "So_, Katie mused once more, _everyone is pretty much normal today." _So then Katie, as normal, cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Hey guys, I had the most interesting conversation with a certain Keeper today..." Katie waited for everyone to look at her. Ron guessed who the 'certain Keeper' was.

"Was it the one from Ravenclaw? ?"

"No, this one was particularly nasty. Any more guesses?" Angelina wildly waved her outstretched hand. "Yes, my dear Angie?"

"I'm going to go ahead and guess Ava? The one with the hideous breath?" Katie nodded. "What did she want?" Angelina questioned.

"She just told me to watch my back, and to tell you all to watch your back. Then she just pushed past me. The nerve of her…" Katie trailed off.

Alicia looked serious. "You think she was serious?"

Katie looked at Alicia with bewilderment. "Alicia. Be serious. You can't believe that Ava could actually do something? I mean, she told us to 'watch our backs' yesterday, and she hasn't done anything yet. Do you honestly think she's serious?" Katie seriously asked.

Alicia still looked worried. "I don't know…"

"Alicia, darlin', you're much to serious about silly things like this." Angelina told her. "We'll be fine. Seriously." Angelina told her friend.

Fred joined in. "Five." The others turned to look at him.

"What?" they all said together.

"Oh, umm, nothing. Seriously. Six…." Fred returned to eating.

Katie stared at Fred. _"What," _she questioned herself. _"the effing," _She shook her head. _"hell?" _

"Oh," Katie twisted to look at Angelina. "Tonight, I got ourselves some practice time. Unfortunately, it's only for a little while, the Hufflepuffs need to practice tonight, as well." The captain finished.

George groaned. "Again? But, Angie, we already practiced today! I can prove it!" He lifted his right arm. A large purple bruise covered most of his forearm.

"How on Earth did you mange that?" asked Harry.

"Making sure a Bludger didn't hit you, Potter. Only, it seemed to miss my club." He laughed. "See the things I have to go through to make sure you don't get bloodied up? Well, too badly, anyway?"

Harry nodded. "Well, It's worth it, ay?"

"To you, maybe. To me…" George shook his head.

"George, you little crybaby, stop your blubbering. My gosh, you're acting like Ron when he-" Fred was cut off by a irritated Ron.

"Hey!" Ron kicked Fred underneath the table.

"Ouch! Hey, you little bugger, you messed with the wrong Weasly!" Fred flicked Ron on the forehead.

"Fred! Ron! Stop! You guys are acting like ickle first years! Grow up!" Katie glared at the two. _"Good God, if those two don't get too bruised up on the field…" _

Without eating more than a piece of bread with a bit of butter spread on top, Katie stood up from the table. Alicia and Angelina joined her. Just before they walked out of the hall and toward their next classes, Angelina reminded the boys.

"Don't forget. I expect you all there at seven-thirty SHARP!"

At seven-twenty-two, Katie opened her locker. She reached for her practice robes and pulled them on. Humming to herself, she fastened her pads on her wrists, hands, and elbows. Grabbing her broom, she noticed that it was in desperate need of a polishing. She made a mental note to ask Harry if she could borrow his broom servicing kit.

Alicia walked in, followed by Ron, George, and Fred. The boys trudged over to their lockers. Groaning, Alicia opened her locker. Slowly, she reached for her practice robes. Angelina briskly walked in.

"Hey guys! Ready to play?" Angelina was already in her practice robes. How, Katie didn't know. She probably came in earlier. __

About ten minutes later, Harry rushed in. Angelina let him have it.

"Harry! You're two minutes late! We were waiting for you! Do you realize that we now have only twenty-eight minuets of practice left?"

"Umm….sure, Angelina. I…realize….that…" Harry looked at her oddly, then shrugged, and went over to his locker.

"Humph. I now know who doesn't care about this te-" Katie cut her off.

"Angie, it was two minutes! You can't think that Harry doesn't care! He was probably busy with something a little more important! We all know Harry, he's always looking like something is terribly wrong…" _"Yea, because he's a little drama king…" _Katie couldn't help herself thinking.

"Yes, but-" Angelina protested.

"Let's go then, shall we?" The last thing Katie wanted was for Angelina to be upset right before practice. _"Is it just me, or is she starting to act more and more like Oliver every day? It's a psychotic over-working disease, I swear. I'm glad I'm not Captain."_

Katie shuddered as she felt the wind blow straight into her face the minute she stepped on the field. She felt a drop on her cheek. Rain. "_Great…just great."_

Harry yelled something to Katie.

"What?" Katie yelled back.

"Nice weather!" He replied.

After the team was formed a circle around Angelina, the captain yelled out what they were doing. After she was finished, the beaters and the chasers rose. Angelina always had them go in groups like this, then, at the very end of practice, they would all play together. It worked a little better then Oliver's way, Katie considered. Katie, Angelina, and Alicia got into position. Fred and George flew to opposite ends of the field. Angelina whistled, and the Quaffle and the Bludgers were released. Instantly, a Bludger headed straight to Katie, and at the same time, so did the Quaffle. Quickly deciding that she favoured her arm more than the Quaffle, she dipped down just in the nick of time. Alicia whizzed past and scooped the ball into her elbow. _"Good one, Alicia!" _Katie grinned at Alicia. Alicia nodded back, then frowned.

"Katie! Heads...err…down!" she shouted.

Katie instantly dove away from her position. A club smacked the Bludger far away. Fred turned to face Katie. "You'd best be paying more attention, eh'?

Katie shook her head, then speed off to retrieve the Quaffle. A Bludger smacked it out of the way, then turned to face her. Katie gulped, the zipped up. The Bludger decided to go after Angelina for a change. _"Weird…that's really strange….." _Katie shrugged, then zoomed after the Quaffle once again. Grabbing it, she quickly turned and sped toward the goals. Rain spattered against her face, and the wind tossed her hair. Katie could barely see. She wished she could perform a charm to keep the rain off her face, but she needed to pay close attention to make sure another Bludger wouldn't decide to make Katie want to beat the living daylights our of whomever invented Bludgers.

Fred flew by. "Nasty buggers, hmm?" He winked at Katie.

_"Yeah, real nasty. So nasty, I'm beginning to 'smell' something suspicious...like, how come they've barely gone after anyone else?"_

Throwing the ball in with all her strength, Katie flew past the goal. Angelina went past, slapping palms with Katie. The game resumed for about ten more minutes, until Angelina blew her whistle again, and Katie sighed with relief. _"No more Bludgers for awhi-"_

Katie gasped, for a Bludger rammed into her back at that exact instant.

A/N- Hahaha, I am soo evil. To leave you on a cliffhanger, that is. I figured it was time for excitement. Mwaa. I rule. Oh, and I am going to be gone until August the 14th, so don't expect many updates. Grinz But don't worry, I am planning to write in my notebook while I am gone, so I will have plenty of new material when I return. Ciao, y'all. (Don't worry, I'll take care of Katie.)


	5. Something Came Over Me

"Please, out! Visiting hours are over!"

"Please, just a few-"

"No!"

Katie's eyes fluttered a bit. She saw a girl who she thought she recognized, arguing with a woman she thought she recognized. She heard a gasp and groggily turned her head towards the sound. Everything she saw was a foggy picture, and she tried to make out what she was seeing and hearing.

"Look! She's awake!"

Katie tried to recognize the voice. A hand touched her forehead.

"Still warm.." The owner muttered.

'_Why would I have a fever?'_ Katie wondered. She struggled to pull herself into a sitting position. Instead, she only managed to pull herself into a slump against the pillow behind her back. Blinking, she studied the seven faces staring at her. Her whole team was there- Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Angelina and Alicia, and a rather ticked-off Madam Pomfrey.

"What-" Katie wanted to ask a million questions that were whirling though her mind, but was cut off by six voices.

"Katie! We thought-"

"I'm so-"

"Worried, we-"

"Fred, he"

"Bludger, it"

"Are you O.K.?"

"ENOUGH!" Madam Pomfrey screeched. "Get out!"

Angelina once again pleaded with her.

"Madam Pomfrey, we deserve-"

The mediwitch cut her off. "Alright, ONE of you. But only one. The rest of you- OUT."

"I'll stay…after all, it was my fault." Fred said, quietly.

The questions came roaring back with full force in Katie's mind.

"Are you sure?" Alicia asked Fred.

"Yeah. I'll see you guys later." Fred called to the team as Madam Pomfrey ushered-or rather, shoved- the group out. She huffed, then turned to attend to the other side of the wing. Fred pulled up a chair to Katie's bed.

"Katie…" Fred started to say, then shut his mouth, as if wondering where to begin. "Look…I'm so sorry…for what happened. I saw the Bludger heading for the box and- I don't know…something just told me to hit it. I had no idea you were flying by at that instant." Fred looked mournful.

"Oh, come on, now, I'm sure that something-"

"It is my fault, you know. I heard the whistle, I knew practice was over, I should have-"

Katie cut him off. She had a knack for that, even when she was groggy. "Don't you think it's a bit peculiar that the Bludgers went after me a heck of a lot more than anyone else?

Fred nodded. "Well…yes…"

"I think that's happened to Harry before… but that was Harry, something always happens to him. Why would Bludgers go after me?" Katie looked at Fred quizzically.

"Well, what about that Slytherin seeker? Ana? Would she do anything?"

"Do you honestly think she has the power to do something like that? I doubt it. Something was up." The bell rang, signifying the students to go to class. Fred stood up. "Guess not. I'll come back…I have that Netwhilst class…I'll bring your homework." He tried to smile as he left, but it looked a little half-hearted.

'_Netwhilsts…' _Katie thought, before allowing herself to sink back into the bed and fall asleep.


End file.
